So amazing to see a stock Volkswagen Corrado G60. I'm sure by now this one has been motor swapped and is doing burnouts out an unsanctioned car gathering near you.
Same. I’m 44, and I still remember watching this show in like 1983-84 on PBS (KQED San Francisco) I loved this show, it was one of my favorites and I was only like 7 years old. I also loved Night Rider, Dukes of Hazard, Airwolf, Blue thunder, and The super high tech motorcycle show called Street Hawk!
I had a 91 with the supercharger swapped to the lysholm supercharger, now that one screamed like a firetruck siren. Old ladies would pull over thinking you were an emergency vehicle, my future wife got a ticket for impersonating one while driving it. I remember being asked in 2004 if it was a new electric VW! Unfortunately in 2005 a Dodge Neon SRT4 decided to ram me off the road and into a telephone pole to furture examine this interesting car. I later got a VR6 Corrado but it wasn't the same as my tuned g60. I kept the motor and now after all these years have it installed in a 1991 VW cabby, I hope to re-live my youth with it, share it with my kids, and avoid Neons and telephone poles.
DSTY that’s probably the thing I miss the MOST about old cars. I love my wife’s new Jetta, but the A and C pillars are so goddamn big, it’s really difficult to see around you. My 02 Civic still runs great, and I can see EVERYTHING around me.
It's amazing how today's tanks make something like this feel downright dainty, irrespective of how much better crash protection has gotten. Not only does visibility flat out suck in most new cars, but with almost every new vehicle being SUVs the rear window is even further away from you than it would be in a car or pickup truck, thus making you feel even more removed from what's going on.
Those things drive me bonkers. Well, I like the back up camera well enough. But the car yelling at me for lane movement is irritating. I purposely looked (to get a more modern second car with 2 kids) a few yr old car without all those gizmos!
Looks pretty good from the outside, but the interior is pretty awful for 1990. With the Eclipse being introduced and popularizing the wrapped around cockpit design, this interior would have looked extremely dated and very boring for a new model.
@Disney Princess of Mars I'm just talking about the interior - the Corrado looks ancient for the time, and the style of all interiors were really dictated by the Eclipse wrap around cockpit look (as it was called at the time). As for the cars, the Eclipse was really highly thought of then - but you could get low spec'd rental car versions that were pretty much garbage, so maybe you had one of those, or maybe you're just a fanboy VW fanboy. I have no dog in the fight and think the VW here looks really good, except the extremely dated interior - and that's most likely why it never took off.
I remember watching this episode when it originally aired. I said to myself, I'll own one of them some day! 1.5 years later I bought a slightly used yellow '90 g60 w/ 27k miles. I still own it today, and still enjoy it, w/ 101k miles. I drove it daily for 10 years. Mine was and is very reliable (unlike others), but I did rebuild my supercharger twice to be safe, and change the oil frequently. Many died due to people over boosting them and NOT changing the oil; which will kill those superchargers. The build quality was on par w/ a 944 at that time. Mine had no squeaks or rattles, and still doesn't. Unfortunately, the high price (for the time) is what did it in. Vw probably should have also offered it in the 2.0 16v version for less money; that might have helped sales; since Americans love options and prestige without the higher price. Also, people seem to forget thst there was a recession going on in 1990 as well. I graduated from design school in 90 and thankfully got a job soon after; many others were not so lucky.
I'm jealous you still have yours. Mine got traded in on a Dodge minivan in '96 (with 180k miles). Changed my oil frequently with Mobil 1. Never had any G-Lader problems.
I very much can relate to your post. VERY SIMILAR TO MY EXPERIENCE. I graduated in '93 and purchased a black 90 G60... By far the best vehicle I ever owned.... Sold it in 2005... Missed ever since.
I still have my yellow G60 also, owned it for 16 years apart for the engine tuning (210bhp) it looks completely standard, Can't imagine ever selling it!
Wow, I can't believe that it's been over 30 years ago since this car was introduced it's kinda hard to wrap my brain around 1990 being 30 years ago damn I feel old.😂
Some of us still, at the back of our mind, think that the 1970's was 30 years ago! I've always heard "the older you get, the faster time goes", and admittedly, they couldn't be further from the truth!
basshead No no there not! and with that comment we know you were not around in the 80s lol It was so easy to make those 150 hp cars fast horsepower is cheap in them days
All those dang safety features make cars heavy... but you couldn't need all those safety features if the cars weren't so heavy and could stop on a dime. And if they didn't let women drive.
This was my first new car. Same color and everything. I had some great times in that car. To this day it's still the biggest personal check I've ever written. I paid $16,686.50 for my Corrado. I'll never forget writing that check.
@@Bagel_Biscuit The VR6 is still available, but the only decent car that offers it is the Passat GT. It's still the old VR6 but now with GDi. I doubt VW will make a brand new VR6. Sadly...
I was lucky enough to ride in one of these brand new back in 1993. I distinctly remember commenting on what a bone shattering ride it had and the owner replied with attitude "Some people like a firm ride."
There must be a VW enthusiast on the MotorWeek staff, with the reference to H2Oi in the description. And it's amazing how cheap cars have gotten now. This Corrado was $17k in 1990, while my 2018 Jetta which is almost equally fast and powerful (but gets 38 MPG!) also cost me around $17k, despite 28 years of inflation between them.
@@ticehettema5559 Well of course the G60 was faster, newer and better equipped than either of those cars. So on reflection I don't think it was really that overpriced.
I know. The guys demonstrating the stick shifts always looked like hyperactive 5 year olds pretending to drive like daddy . Wonder if he was making "VROOM VROOM!" noises too?
If the Golf Country and R32 didn’t interest you you might not be real. The new electric race car is pretty interesting as the fastest car around even if it’s not for sale.
I have one... Same engine, same performances but dark green custom color... I FREAKING LOVE IT ! I forgot to mention BORBET wheels... It's so so powerful looking.
Thats a great 0-60 time for 1990! Just to compare..A base Camaro was struggling to get under 9 sec. We were just starting to creep out of the dark ages around that time.
Yeah, but for the price of this VW, you could probably get a V8 Camaro/Mustang/Firebird and be much faster with much better reliability. It is a good looking car, though.
It’s how they’re maintained, usually. I have had 2 distributors and 2 fuel pumps and a new cooomg system since I bought my 92 GTI 16v in 99. It has 193k. Runs great. It’s a lot more fun than the similar year muscle cars IMHO. Gets a decent 25 mpg, too. I boosted handling with cool overs and sway bars. It’s srsly on rails, handles pretty incredible. German cars have a feel to them hard to describe.
I bought a white 92 GSX back in 08, hence my name, off the original owner had all the paperwork for $1500. The ecu went up after 6 months but that was the only "major" problem. It was a fun car to work on and I had it running low 13's before I sold it a few years later I just didn't have a ton of money at the time the economy was shit and I was getting married lol
I can tell you from personal experience, the spoiler really is effective. When I lived in Germany, I had my first Corrado G60 carefully tuned for more power at TEC. Top speed rose from around 150 mph to around 160. Shortly after the tuning, I had a subwoofer installed. Unfortunately, the installer cut the cable for the speed-compensated volume. I'd just got on the autobahn and had only reached around 150mph on the way to Frankfurt. The back end felt really light. Couldn't see the spoiler in the rear view mirror. Fortunately, the override switch at bottom left still functioned, so I was able to reach Frankfurt on time! I later spliced the cable myself and full functionality was restored. Yes, the same cable that controls speed-compensated volume also sends the signal for the spoiler.
I remember looking and admiring those Corrado's in the early 90's, the way I look at and admire something like a BMW M2 today. LOVED those cars, but damn, pricey in the day, especially for a college student!
Great cars. I daily drive a 1990 G60 Corrado and I love it. Solid chassis and excellent handling for a FWD. Light years ahead of my old ‘88 Scirocco 16V which was a bit of a noodle stiffness-wise. I know everyone lusts after the SLC with the VR6 engine but I prefer the quirky, vibrating, supercharged 4-banger and its decent power and exceptional mileage.
I always look forward to these retro reviews. The brand new stuff is good and all, but looking back to cars from when I was a kid, that pulls right at the nostalgia strings.
0-60 in 7.5 is really good for a 1.8! Even today thats not a slow car! But then I guess cars of the late 80s/early 90s were much lighter and more simpler than they are now. 158bhp in a modern hatch/coupe would not feel quick at all. Makes you wonder if all the crap they put in modern cars is really necessary. Sometimes less can be more.
Man, I loved the look of these for years and years. I felt they looked like a cut-rate Porsche, but in a good way (except for the weird large front overhang, a typical VW flaw).
@@TheHuskyGT The mk1 Scirocco Storm would probably be the best looking Vw. Mk3's are nothing special to look at and were never particularly good cars compared to the mk2.
I'm 44, and this was one of my favorite VW's I ever owned, if I could find a classic today without spending a fortunate I would love to own another one, it was so cool when on the road the spoiler would automatically be activated around 45, and the hold the key windows up function. I also owned an Eagle Talon TSI AWD stick, car was a lot of fun to drive but had way too much typical Chrysler torque steer.
These cars were riddled w/electrical problems! Girl I dated in high school had a red 1991 G60 5 spd. It was pretty quick for the time... when it was running right. Had so many electrical gremlins! Went through 3 fuel pumps & fuse kept blowing. We got pulled over several times bc tail lights randomly stopped working. A/C randomly quit. Vent blower motor would turn itself on & off. Sure I'm forgetting a bunch of other crap. This was 27 yrs ago. But that car didn't even have 15k miles on it when all this crap happened. What a piece of German junk that thing was!
As is typical with German cars, even to this day.. My dentist brother leased a brand new BMW 6 series a couple of years ago, it was griping about a sensor failure or fault one week, something else the next. "Visit service center soon", was a common occurrence.. Meanwhile, the car I was driving, a 2003 S2000 with almost 150,000 miles, was pretty much trouble free. I will say though, that 6 series was a nice car to drive! So I get why people put up with the bullshit.
Even with the vr6, it was considered under powered. Always thought it was a 944 Vw. Great cars if you can find one not hacked up by a kid 20 years ago. My wife has always hated mine.
God, do I love me a Corrado. It’s impossible to find one in any reasonable price because of the rebuilt engines and rarity. I know the G60’s always had issues, and I always wanted the VR6 version. I had multiple chances to buy them right out of high school for less than 5 grand but I was an idiot and didn’t ever get one. I’ve owned 7 different various VW’s (Passat, Jetta and GTI’s) from the MK2-MK4 models (the last great ones, maybe with the Passat being the exception).
By the way, I used to want to buy a Corrado, VR6.. I thought about it in the late 1990s, early 2000s.. But I never bought it, I didn’t even have to drive the Corrado.. Although, instead, I drove a Porsche 944 )
Great cars inside and out. Unfortunately they are all plagued with electrical issues. I know several over the years that have caught fire because of them. They should have equipped all of them with a fire extinguisher standard. Lol
My college housemate back in the 90s had one exactly looked like this but with the leather option. He modded the hell out of it with Neuspeed and later Oettinger performance parts. The handling was amazing it simply glued to the ground as if it was on a rail track without much body roll and sway even at very high speed turns. I also remember it put out almost 230 crank horsepower with a smaller supercharger pulley, performance chip, cold air intake, free-flow exhaust and higher boost (16 psi). Till this day it's still a joy to think of the deep exhaust note, rev up supercharger sound the car produced, and the rush every time the good amount of torque pushing your back.
A year or so later, you could get the VR6 engine in the SLC model that made for a much quieter, smoother and slightly faster Corrado. It was a great car, but a bit of a sales flop in the United States. For a front wheel drive car they are awful in the snow mostly because the weight of the engine is behind the front wheels rather than over them, so it has to it's merit some of the handling virtues of a mid engined car, but a lot of the faults as well.
That 90s hair was awesome Weird to think power windows and AC were optional back then on so many cars when today it’s lane departure and smart cruise lol
I love how they always knock the shifter feel in all these VW reviews. I mean Id rather have it be notchy so I know what gear its going into. Maybe the staff drivers are just bad at driving 😀
And the reason for it is sad and very bizarre. The guy responsible for bringing it, the CEO of VWoA was on the Pan Am 747 in the Lockerbie bombing on the way back from a meeting with VW executives.
At like 4:34, check out the dudes shoes! His Nike’s are super old and grimy!! I mean seriously guy, you wake up in the morning, going to work for Motor Week! It’s a TV SHOW!! I mean come on!! Put on your best shoes!! In 1990 I was in 7th grade, and you better believe I had Nike’s, a lot nicer than these, that I kept super clean! His shoes look like he bought them at Goodwill, then buried them in the mud, then hoses them off and put them on!!!
The Corrado was a great sporty car. It sucks that production didn't last long enough for it to get known well. It came out in 1990, but was suddenly dropped in the USA in 1994.
VW cars were crap in the 1990 and still today. VW is really keeping its reputation. And holy crap! Motorweek had a fetish for voltmeters and pressure gauges on cars back in to old days. This is the 597th time I have seen a car not having that and the host lamenting that omission.
@@djkenny1202 I suppose you got lucky. As I did. Still driving my LOL toy car Saturn L-100 SE that I got brand spanking new back in 2002 it has 104,500 miles on the clock It has been the best and most reliable car I have ever owned. I have to admit, never changed the coolant or the ATF fluid *oops* oil changes every 10,000 miles also. It doesn’t burn a drop of oil either. OK, maybe I got lucky this time too. And no car payments are a nice thing not to have! Used the savings along with my spouce to buy and pay off a house. in 10 years
Yep, btotha from anotha motha. We are now on our second home, renting out the first one that had a 20 yr loan with 8.5 yrs left. Better investment than new cars every 5-10 yrs. ? I just bought (cash, only way I role) a pre owned 15 Scion XB with 30k on it for wholesale price. The GTI is still with. It’s too fun to give up (and going Up in Value, too). It’s on storage, I take it for little tldrives and pay $32 every 6 months comp insurance.
I wanted one of these SO BAD back in the day!!!!! GET YOUR FAHRVERGNUGEN ON!!!!!!!! 3:44 & 3:49...........were those brake pads ALREADY worn out on that brand new car?!!!!!!
I had a heated up turbodiesel in a rabbit pickup back in the day. I used to give my cousins g60 fits , I had him by a good .4 sec in the 1/4. They had decent top end though , it would keep pulling even if it wasn't all that quick.
